Structure Fire in Maui Meadows Monday Caused $1,170,600 in Damage

At 4:28 p.m. on Monday, August 7, 2017, South Maui fire crews responded to a residential structure fire on the 3200 block of Keha Drive in the Maui Meadows subdivision. The Wailea crew reported seeing heavy black smoke in the area as soon as they turned out of the fire station.

Firefighters were on scene at 4:34 p.m. and found a two-story residence fully engulfed in flames on the first and second floors. The house fire eventually spread to the brush at the rear of the home and spread up a hillside, burning about 4,000 sq. ft. of brush and trash in a vacant lot. Crews were able to stop the brush fire before it could damage any neighboring homes.

The fire was called under control at 10 p.m. Monday night, and extinguished at 12:25 p.m. Tuesday afternoon. The 3,535 sq. ft. home was completely destroyed. Damages were estimated at $1,129,400 to the structure and its contents. Two vehicles parked in the first floor garage, a 2013 BMW and a 2007 Mercedes Benz, were also destroyed. They were valued at $18,303 and $17,920 respectively. A cottage below and next to the main house sustained about $5,000 in minor damages to its roof.

The cause of the blaze could not be determined.

There were no injuries, as no one was at home in the main house when the fire erupted. The owners are part-time Maui residents and currently live in Massachusetts. A tenant living in the cottage next door was at home at the time and escaped without injury.

911 calls flooded in to emergency dispatchers, mostly from area residents either reporting the smell of smoke or because they were viewing thick black smoke or flames pouring out from the dwelling.

Thirty-one firefighters comprised of a battalion chief, 7 companies, and two water tankers from Wailea, Kihei, Wailuku and Kahului responded to the fire.